PROJECT SUMMARY. The Research Service Center (RSC) of the obesity-focused Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) will train and assist CCTR-supported investigators from all partner institutions in key areas of research development and implementation, including ethics, regulatory management and compliance, and rigorous, standardized research practices. Professionals in clinical and community engaged research will ensure that investigators complete all regulatory training, meet all regulatory requirements, and establish robust processes for participant recruitment and retention as well as best practices in data collection, monitoring, and reporting, and adherence to Good Clinical Practice guidelines. A trained ethicist will review all projects that receive Pilot Projects support, and will meet with all mentored investigators in the Investigator Development Program (Professional Development Core) at the beginning of the program and at the start of any new project. RSC personnel will assist in establishing strong data security practices and transparent and compliant documentation of research results and Adverse Events. They will work with investigators to develop complete and accurate budgets, establish service agreements, seek fair and compliant contracts, and implement timely and accurate invoicing for research procedures. The RSC will provide enhanced access to Clinical Research Coordinators and Community Research Coordinators, with mechanisms for shared usage and cross-coverage, and will establish general use of standardized clinical research software. The RSC will provide full service support for awardees of the Pilot Projects Program, including participants in three components of the Professional Development Core: the Investigator Development Program, the Community Engaged Research (CEnR) Institute, and the CEnR Working Group. In addition, with the approval of RSC leaders and the CCTR Steering Committee, the RSC will work with investigators, study coordinators, and industry sponsors to establish economically sound obesity research studies that will provide a revenue stream to sustain and expand the RSC beyond the period of IDeA funding. By lowering barriers to project development and implementation and promoting best practices in clinical, translational, and community engaged research, the RSC can lead to a rapid expansion of ethical and well-managed obesity research projects, and increased research funding, at the CCTR partner institutions.